Lily's Secrets [Elk Creek 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (15 page)

Wyatt felt as if they had just sealed a secret pact, something outside of the agreement the three of them had silently come to in the great room downstairs.

When his stomach started to heave a second later, it took Wyatt totally off-guard. Heat rushed to his face as fast as the bile rushed from his gut up to his gullet.

“Wyatt, are you well?”

Lily turned at Dakota’s words, her eyes widening when she got a look at Wyatt and a gasp escaped her throat.

He could only imagine the sight he made since he felt like complete hell.

Wyatt backed away from them, shaking his head, covering his mouth with one hand and his rebelling belly with the other. He practically sprinted down the hall to the water closet, Dakota’s and Lily’s urgent calls of concern trailing behind him as he barely made it to the toilet before throwing up.

* * * *

He knew if he wanted anything done right he had to do it himself. He’d done his part, as much as he could to get Wyatt good and soaked after the other man had practically poured his soul out about his problems with Lily. It didn’t surprise him how vulnerable Wyatt had made himself, how willing to put pride aside for a woman.

He sneered now, telling himself the farmer had always been soft and ripe for the picking, too soft by far, not like the smart and strong man
he
was.

Lily needed a real man to show her the way, to guide her to her rightful place as obedient helpmate. If she were with him, there was no way he would allow her to look at another man, much less covet a savage.

“Come here, sugar. Let me wipe that frown right off your face.”

He focused his sights on the woman splayed across the frilly ruffled bed before him. He watched her pat the mattress between her legs and plastered a smile on his face. If he wanted to catch flies, he had to use a little honey, as much as it galled him to do so. He reckoned he might as well get it over with, though.

He closed and locked the door, strutting across the floor to stand at the foot of the bed. He folded his muscular arms over his chest, canting one hip to the side in a pose that he knew flattered him. Not that he needed to impress this woman. She was already bought and paid for—nothing but a common whore.

The people of the town had all other sorts of fancy names for her sort—painted ladies, sporting women, dance-hall girls—but he wasn’t fooled by all their colorful finery.

They were nothing like his Lilybelle.

“What happened between you and Wyatt?” he asked and watched her frown at the name. Hell, the woman had been with so many men that night she couldn’t remember one sloshed farmer who couldn’t hold his liquor?

“Which one was that, sugar? You’re going to have to give me a hint. I’m new here.”

“The last one of the night before me. Tall, blond hair, blue eyes…”

“Oh that one! I remember him. Real cutie-pie. You could have saved yourself the trouble of asking if you had come up with him. Would have been extra, but I’m sure we could have come to some sort of arrangement.”

Was she suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? Was such depravity as ménage a trois acceptable now? Surely, he’d heard all manner of rumors about the town doctor and his wife and brother, but he didn’t expect different from those fancy, persnickety greenhorns from back East. No common decency at all, almost as bad as those Europeans who thought they were better than everyone else. Not to mention the doctor and his brother had the nerve to flaunt and share their Negro girl as if it was all right.

He glared at the whore, attempting to wipe the flirtatious smile off her face, but his ire had no effect on this one. If he weren’t so shocked and angry, he might have admired her spunk, but he didn’t have time for admiring anyone, especially not a two-bit whore.

He closed the space between them, easily sitting beside her on the large four-poster bed.

She shifted onto her side, turning her body into him, eager and ready to play.

He stared at her coquettish smile, unaffected by her womanly wiles, wanting one thing from her and one thing only. He leaned toward her, sliding his hand up her shoulder around to the nape of her neck where he fisted a handful of her blonde curls and jerked her head back, hard.

She gasped, shiny, red lips parting and eyes widening in alarm. “What bee got in your bonnet, sugar?”

She was certainly a professional, he’d give her that. She didn’t miss her mark with the whole seductive act despite her fear, and he knew she was afraid, as she should be.

He bent his head even closer, pressing his lips to her ear, so close the scent of her cheap perfume choked him. He felt the heat of her bosoms as they heaved against his chest when she panted. Behind the zipper of his trousers, he throbbed, hot and hard. He was a man after all. If he took this harlot, though, it would only be to relieve the frustration, a means to an end. He
wanted
Lily, only Lily, and he would have her as soon as he got rid of Wyatt and the Indian.

“I’m going to ask you again,
sugar
, and I want you to give me a straight answer. No games. What happened between you and Wyatt?”He gave her hair a sharp jerk for good measure, just to make sure she understood he meant business.

She gritted her teeth, tears flooding her eyes at the pain as he knuckled her scalp. “Nothing happened!”

“Don’t play with me.”

“I’m not. He didn’t…he didn’t want me. He…he just wanted to talk about his Lilybelle and how they kept hurting each other and how he wanted to stop the hurting and…”

He released her, barely hearing the rest of her blathering.

So Wyatt wanted to make amends to
his
Lilybelle?

Did he know it was too late, that
he
had staked an emotional claim and she as much as belonged to
him
now? There would be no going back for either Lilybelle or Wyatt, no reconciliation, no redemption, not for them and not for that damn interfering Indian.

He was going to take what belonged to him, soon, very soon, and God help anyone who got in his way.

* * * *

Lily heard the horse and wagon pull up outside the house and wondered who was coming to visit. They hadn’t had anyone come out to these parts in recent months except Doctor Malloy. She and Wyatt had always kept to themselves, but since her return, it was as if the people in Elk Creek, indeed, her friends and neighbors, thought her and Wyatt’s troubles and grief were contagious and wanted no part of them. She couldn’t really blame them. If she were them, she’d probably stay away from her and Wyatt, too. Unhappiness like theirs couldn’t be good to be around for anyone. She didn’t want to be around it herself, but she had no choice.

Lily crossed the bedroom to go to the window and pulled the curtains back. She took a peek outside, surprised at the sight of Dakota greeting Thayne, Cade, and Maia Malloy. She was even more surprised that Cade sat astride Wyatt’s horse, Gambit, while Maia sat at the helm of a horse and wagon with her husband beside her.

She had assumed Wyatt had gotten home under his own steam last night, but evidently not. The Malloys must have brought him home in their wagon and were now returning the horse he had been forced to leave in town last night.

Lily watched as Dakota turned his head toward the house, tilting his head up at the bedroom window. She guiltily jerked back just as the trio followed his motion, feeling exposed, like an interloper in her own house.

She didn’t know what was worse, the shame she had felt last night at Wyatt’s violent reaction to what she’d been about to do with him and Dakota, or the alien malaise that had been gradually growing inside her since her abduction. Certainly there had been brief instances of comfort and enjoyment—the birth of her and Wyatt’s son, being reunited with Wyatt after such a long absence—but by and large she hadn’t felt deserving of the life that had been bestowed upon her, not in a long time.

Lily closed her eyes now at the memory of Wyatt’s face, the disgust she’d seen right before he had run off to retch in the water closet. He had been so revolted by her, by the idea that she could think to share her love, share herself with a man other than her husband that he couldn’t stand to look at her without heaving.

She guessed she couldn’t blame him really. What man wouldn’t be sickened by the idea of having such a sinful Jezebel for a wife?

A knock sounded on the door, dragging Lily from the wallowing stupor into which she had slipped. She shook her head, sniffed, and patted the tears from her eyes with a hanky before clearing her throat. “Yes?”

“It’s me, Lily. Maia. Is it okay if I come in?”

Lily couldn’t for the life of her think of a thing to say to make the woman go away without sounding unneighborly and downright rude, but she didn’t want her to stay either.

As if sensing her quandary, Maia opened the door, a smile as bright as the sun plastered on her beautiful caramel face as she entered the room and closed the door behind her, taking the decision out of Lily’s hands. “I won’t take but a minute of your time, really.”

Lily didn’t trust herself to speak, so remained silent. What could she say, what excuse could she use that Maia would believe enough to go?

Maia seemed to discern her mood, moving into the room with a cautious gait, stepping toward Lily as if approaching a wounded animal and she knew wounded animals were the most dangerous kind. Wounded animals were unpredictable.

“All right if I take a seat?”

Lily almost laughed as Maia sat in the rocker before Lily could even respond. She’d always liked the other woman’s spirit, admired her gumption.

“Come, sit. Let’s talk.” Maia patted the bed adjacent the rocker.

Lily’s throat tightened as she closed the space between herself and the other woman, slowly, guardedly. She sat down where Maia indicated, that feeling of not belonging in her own home overwhelming her again. She didn’t look at Maia. She looked everywhere else but, hands resting in her lap like a penitent in church.

“Sabrina and I were wondering if you still wanted to work at the shop.”

Lily finally rested her gaze on Maia. “That’s not really why you came out here, is it?”

She hated that she sounded so accusatory, but she couldn’t help it, not that it seemed to bother Maia none. The other woman just grinned and sat back in Lily’s rocker as if it was her own and she was settling in for a spell.

“Okay, you got me. That was only part of the reason I came out. The other part is I wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“See how I’m doing?” Lily echoed.

“That’s right.” Maia sat forward and covered Lily’s folded hands with her own. “Since your trip to town last week, I’ve been worried about you. Actually, I’m worried about you both.”

What was Lily supposed to say to that? She couldn’t possibly tell Maia the truth, that she was torn between two men, that she loved two men and her husband was disgusted by her despite wanting her. Would this worldly-wise, strong, independent woman understand Lily’s plight, how small and insignificant she felt in the grand scheme of things?

“You can talk to me, Lily.”

She slipped her hands from Maia’s and covered her face, shaking her head as hot tears stung her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“I bet I would. You just have to trust me.” Maia caught her wrists and drew her hands away from her face. She didn’t release Lily until Lily opened her eyes to look at her. “Try me.”

“It’s too…too disreputable to talk about.”

Maia chuckled. “I have more than a little experience in the disreputable department.”

“How do you do it?”

“Do what? Be disreputable?”

“No. How do you do it…with Thayne and Cade?” Lily blurted and instantly covered her mouth, eyes widening at her faux pas.

Maia simply burst out into gales of laughter so hardy and long, tears started to run down her cheeks. “Oh my goodness, no one’s ever had the nerve to ask me that before.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to insul—”

“Please don’t apologize. You didn’t insult me. Far from it, as a matter of fact. I found your question…refreshing.”

“Refreshing?” Lily gaped.

“Lily, you only voiced the question that everyone else in town has been thinking since Thayne and Cade and I arrived but hasn’t had the guts to ask, so yes, it was refreshing.”

“Okay.”

Maia leaned back in her seat, staring at Lily so long and hard Lily felt heat rush to her face, surely turning her cheeks bright pink. She put a hand up to her face, wanting to hide.

“You know, you remind me of me, when I was younger…before I came out here.”

“I seriously doubt it.”

“No, really. You have no idea how powerful and strong you are or the effect you have on people. It’s a gift not everyone can lay claim to.”

“I don’t feel at all powerful or strong. And as for the effect I have on people…” Lily let her sentence hang as her gaze drifted to the window. She imagined Dakota out in the fields, working beneath the hot sun the same way Wyatt had been working just yesterday, his light, copper-brown skin moist and…and…mouthwatering.

Lily licked her lips at the thought of her two men.

My
two men?

“You love them, don’t you?”

Lily slowly brought her glance back to Maia. “Them?”

“Wyatt and Dakota.”

Her lips trembled and she pulled the bottom one between her teeth to stop it. She would not break down and cry again in front of this woman. She would not.

“There’s nothing wrong with how you’re feeling.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I’ve never felt as right as I have since I became Thayne and Cade’s woman.”

“So the three of you actually…you…you have relations with both of them? At the same time?”

“I certainly do. And sometimes I have relations with just one of them. It depends on how we all feel at any given moment.”

“It just all seems so…scandalous.”

Maia laughed. “I suppose it does.”